About 50, 000 years ago in Dhemlan a Black Widow Queen, Ellisinia Phoris, walked away from her Offering with the Black. The Queen immediately named herself Witch; named herself the living myth and claimed the Black Mountain at Ebon Askavi as her Dark Throne - none challenged her. None could. She was young when she made her Offering and started ruling and over the next 4500 years of her life turned Terreille into a cesspit of all the worst decadence that Blood Females could put upon males. The use of pleasure slaves ran rampant and males lived in constant fear of being shaved should they disobey the women whom they served. A rift grew between the two sexes.

During the mid-years of her reign, Lady Phoris decided that Terreille wasn’t enough for her – she wanted Kaeleer as well. Wanted the Shadow Realm that was little more than myth. She had one of her Priestesses open the Dark Gate in the Keep where she went through and declared herself Witch and ruler of Kaeleer as well. At first, Kaeleer welcomed the living myth, and took her as their leader, but soon they realised their mistake. Less like dreams made flesh and more like a nightmare, they said. She was corrupting the ways of the Blood, tearing down the thin webs of trust between males and females, ruling with an iron fist rather than a lightly guiding hand.

The people of Kaeleer realised that to save their way of life, they’d have to get rid of her. But who could take out the Black, especially one surrounded by the jewels she was? In a secret gathering representatives from nearly every Territory in Kaeleer convened in the first meeting of what was to become the Dark Council. Even the most reclusive races sent someone – the Dea al Mon, Tigralan, Pandar and Centauran were all represented. Few of the kindred came…but legend has it a golden spider spun her webs in a corner of the ceiling and spoke warnings of what the Arachnians had seen in their tangled webs…and warned that Lady Phoris was not dreams made flesh. How even the legendary Arachnians could know such a thing for sure was doubtful, but it rung true and the Dark Council took heed.

They decided on a terrible course of action. There was no way they could stand against a Black Jeweled Black Widow Queen with force. And she would have all the armies of Terreille behind her as well. The answer then was to prevent her reaching them at all. The Dark Alters were, as far as anyone knew, indestructable. But the Priestesses who performed the rites to use them as Gates were not. The closest Territories to each Gate would send through a force or assassins, whichever they deemed best, to eliminate the Terreillian Priestesses tending the Dark Alter on the other side, and any apprentices with them. In a coup that has become the stuff of legend; the leaders of Kaeleer sent through assassins through the Gate to the Light Realm and killed any Priestesses and their Apprentices they could find. The knowledge of how to open the Gates was scarce to begin with, and not part of regular Priestess training.

It would be a terrible deed, but it would be a slaughter of scores to save the lives of tens of thousands. The attacks would all happen on the same night to minimize the chance of a warning going out. Unbeknownst to the Kaeleer Council, the Black Queen had had similar ideas to control Realm travel on her own, and had sent her own assassins through to take control of the Gates. The plan went awry, fate deciding that each Realm would send through it’s assassins on the same day. In a mere twenty-four hours near every Priestess who knew how to open the Dark Gates had been killed in both Realms, and those who still knew how, did not advertise their knowledge, and did not teach it to Apprentices. As such, the ability to open the fabled Gates is nearly lost. In one single bloody night the Priestesses of both Realms were decimated—Kaeleer’s more than Terreille’s, for Lady Phoris’ orders had inspired a ruthless thoroughness in her assassins, assassins who would themselves never see home again being hunted down and killed.

One Priestess who possessed the added talent of being a Black Widow had seen the killings in her web, and had fled her Gate. She became a Guardian, ensuring that the knowledge would not be completely lost.

From that day on, Kaeleer was alone. The Light Realm as much as the Dark Realm faded to legend, particularly in the minds of the short-lived races.

The population of Priestesses gradually renewed itself, but much knowledge and lore had been lost, and not just that of the Gates.

The taint created by the Black Queen continued well after her death, continued for another twenty-five thousand years before a Warlord Prince of the Ebon Gray jewels, Rufus Vorturn emerged out of Dhemlan and took to destroying Queens and other powerful Blood females. Males joined in the Warlord Prince's cause, and the table of power shifted.

After the Warlord Prince’s death, the power between the sexes has shifted somewhat, but there is no balance in Terreille, and the land is dying, calling out for a re-unification of the people who are born to be its caretakers. Protocol is near dead these days, and everyone lives in fear. Since the time of the Ebon Gray Warlord Prince there have been none strong enough (or they didn't try) to bring about change, none strong enough to reunify the Blood, let alone the Territories that make up the Realm of Terreille.

Over the years, Kaeleer has become but a myth to the people of Terreille, and Winsol a celebration that has now been tainted by the deeds of the last Witch to walk the living realms.

After the time of the assassinations, many of the Territories in Kaeleer retreated into themselves, some even closing their borders. What had needed to be done had been done, but fate had dictated that the price was to be a terrible one. Much lore is gone to legend and many of he Blood’s great stories have been lost to time now, even in the histories of the long-lived. Perhaps the Kindred had sensed something which was why they’d stayed away from the delegations, many of the Kindred Territories are closed, and some such as the dragons and unicorns and even the Arachnians have become legend. Certain of the human races as well, such as the Dea al Mon, have closed their borders and defend them viciously. Some have started opening up a little again, for whatever reason, this new generation of rulers seems unwilling to stay but whispers in the Darkness.

A Witch Storm is forming quietly in each Realm, one that once unleashed will change the future of both Realms.